Gamecocks Return Home To Face Duke

COLUMBIA, S.C. —-  No. 16 South Carolina softball is set to return home for five-straight games starting this Wednesday against Duke at 6:00 PM ET on SEC Network Plus. Fans are encouraged to park in the Heyward Street Parking Garage. 

Carolina comes into the week looking to sweep the season series over the Blue Devils. 
 

THE UPCOMING WEEK

• The Gamecocks open up a five-game home stand at Beckham Field this Wednesday at 6:00 PM against Duke on SEC Network+. Carolina’s home-streak continues this weekend with a three-game set against Ole Miss. The week concludes next Wednesday at 6:00 PM ET against Georgia State on SEC Network +. 
• South Carolina continued SEC play last weekend, as it dropped its three-game series at Arkansas, 2-1. The Razorbacks took the first two games of the series as the Gamecocks responded with a Sunday win to close out the series on a high note. The win was the first win on the road against a ranked team since last year at Texas A&M in the Sunday game of that series. 
• Carolina returns to SEC action this weekend for another tough test, this time against Ole Miss at Beckham Field. The Gamecocks won a hard-fought 2-1 series last season in Oxford over the Rebels to open SEC play. 
• Comes into the week with a couple notable rankings according to stats. Cayla Drotar enters the week eighth in the country in saves (3), Karly Heath is 6th in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings while Kennedy Clark is seventh in the country in doubles. Jana Johns ranks No. 1 in hit by pitch per game as of 3/18. 

THIS ISN’T SPARTA… BUT SHE’S ALMOST GOT 300

• Head coach Beverly Smith is just one win away from her 300th as a head coach at South Carolina. She is already in elite company only the second coach in program history with at least 200 wins, but 300 is sure to be a sweet addition.  
• Smith’s first win as a head coach came on Feb. 11, 2011, at Beckham Field in a 10-6 victory over Charleston Southern. The Gamecocks eventually went 3-1 her first opening weekend that season. 
• Smith’s most recent win as a head coach came over No. 17 Arkansas in the series finale last Sunday. The Gamecocks earned the program’s 29th road win over a ranked opponent since 1995. 
• A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Smith’s next chance to win her 300th game will come on Wednesday night against Duke. 

ARKANSAS… LET’S KEEP MOVING FORWARD 

• South Carolina dropped its three-game series at Arkansas this past weekend, 2-1, as the Razorbacks took the first two games of the series. 
• The series was tight as could be, as Arkansas outscored the Gamecocks just 16-15 over the weekend and had just three more hits. 
• Jana Johns led the way at the plate, hitting .375 with a .545 on-base percentage. Alyssa Kumiyama had a team-best five RBI. In the circle Dixie Raley earned the win for the Gamecocks. 
• The Carolina pitching staff found ways to get strikeouts throughout the weekend as the unit produced 19 in three games.

ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE

• Something that has become a regular thing for the Gamecocks under Beverly Smith, South Carolina is set for another tough slate in the 2019 season. 
• Carolina will face at least five top-15 teams and seven top-25 squads according to the USA Softball rankings at the start of the season. 
• The road schedule in the SEC (Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Missouri) will be ultra-tough as those squads combined for a 104-17 (.860) record at home last season. 
• Based on last year’s final RPI, South Carolina will play at least seven teams in the top-25, 11 in the top-50 and 13 in the top-75 this year.

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS 

• South Carolina is 133-312-1 (.293) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995. 
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 62-100 (.358) at home, 29-144 (.154) on the road and 43-67-1 (.407) in neutral-site outings.
• Last season, the Gamecocks went 8-14 against ranked teams, including an 8-1 record in home games. The Gamecocks notably swept Tennessee and Mississippi State in home series against ranked teams last year. The Gamecocks also took two of three games against Arkansas, as well. 
• In road games, the Gamecocks notably won a road series at Ole Miss to star the SEC season and earned their first win over Texas A&M since 2015.

MUST WIN AT HOME! AND THE GAMECOCKS DO

• South Carolina is 158-77 (.665) at home during the Beverly Smith era, which does not include a 4-1 record at home while hosting a regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field. 
• The Gamecocks have lost more than 10 games at home in a single season just three times in her eight years. 
• Carolina has finished .500 or better at home seven of Beverly Smith’s eight years. 
• South Carolina has not lost double digit games at home in six years, and has won 20 or more the past five seasons.